It seems inevitable that the magic of the written word will fade.

Although we love the idea of choice - our culture almost worships it - we seek refuge in the familiar and the comfortable.

Polls are no substitute for leadership because, at its very essence, leadership is about giving people what they don't already have - a sense of vision, inspiration, or even an adequate grasp of a particular subject.

One reason we resist making deliberate choices is that choice equals change and most of us, feeling the world is unpredictable enough, try to minimise the trauma of change in our personal lives.

The yearning for strong leadership is more about strength of purpose - clarity of vision - than about merely 'getting tough'.

The copycat effects of media violence, similar to those previously attributed to westerns, radio serials and comic books, are easy to exaggerate.

It's Australian to do such things because, however uncivilised they may seem, it's human to do them.